Toxins, Toxins, Whose Got the Toxins? Your Shampoo and Personal Care Products

Our environment is filled with toxins. Some toxins we can't do much about, but we can commit to buy personal care products that don't poison our body. Looking at labels is frustrating. You can't pronounce them and you have no idea what they are. You need to research before you take out the credit card. You need to do your homework. The information is out there if you do the work. In this article you will find examples of chemicals found in thousands of personal care products including shampoo. Education is power.

Doesn't The FDA Protect Us? I wish that were true, but it's not. Manufacturers are given great leeway to put chemicals in their personal care products including those listed on the RTECS sheets for toxicity. They don't seem to care that toxins are absorbed readily into the scalp and skin. There are not enough inspectors to monitor the system adequately even with the regulations that exist. Unless there is a lawsuit, it goes pretty well unchecked.

Herbal Products: Some of these products contain toxic chemicals as well. You must really read labels. Terms such as 'natural' and 'herbal' are used to influence consumers to buy products. Companies know most consumers don't read the label ingredients. Often consumers buy on price and a catchy label which is very misleading in many cases. Names don't mean anything, label ingredients do.

SLS Chemicals: Chemicals used to wash cars and dissolve grease. SLS chemicals make your shampoo lather and helps the other ingredients to be absorbed into your hair and skin. The following chemicals are all in the same family: sodium lauyl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, ammonium laurel sulfate, sodium deodecylsulfate, sulfuric acid, sodium salt sulfuric acid, A12-00356, Aquarex ME, and Aquarex Methyl.

Nasty SLS Warnings: irritates skin and eyes; is toxic to organ tissue; toxic to reproductively; toxic to the nerves and Endrocrine system, and to cells; and may cause cancer. So you put these chemicals on your hair and body several times a week. This is not good.

Dioxane: Derived from petroleum; a toxin; used in dry cleaning solvents, lacquers, and auto coolant; found in baby products as a byproduct of manufacturing the SLS chemicals such as sodium lauyl sulfate.

Nasty Dioxane Warnings: Linked to breast cancer in rats; toxic to the body; it is limited by the FDA to 10 parts per million. It is found in many products for kids and babies including: Sesame Street character brands of shampoo and Johnson and Johnson's baby shampoo. Perhaps this is one reason for some ADD problems?

Formaldehyde: Formaldehyde is an animal carcinogen according to the EPA which can cause skin irritation in children. I can't see that this chemical would be good for skin period. This one again, is found in many brands of baby and children's bath products such as shampoo, bubble bath, and body wash.

Propylene Glycol: Chemical used as a solvent and surfactant. This one is used in everything from engine antifreeze, rubber cleaners, paint, adhesive, enamel paint and varnish, and more.

Nasty Propylene Warnings: skin irritant, liver toxicity, kidney toxicity, and should not be used on or near your skin. Why would it be put into personal care products? Sick.

MSG or Monosodium Glutamate: Avoiding Chinese food will not completely protect you against MSG. Now you need to watch out for your shampoo and personal care products as well. The shampoo ingredients will actually read amino acids, yeast extract, nayad, or glutamic acid but it is MSG.

Nasty MSG Warnings: headaches, nausea, stomach distress, numbness and burning sensations; tingling; feeling sleepy; weakness and dizziness.

Tocopheryl Acetate: Chemical linked to cancer which can cause itching, burning, hives, and blistering of skin in sensitive people. It's used in hundreds of personal care products, skin care products, bath products, and hair products.

Disodium Edta: Disodium Edta Is used to help other chemicals to penetrate the skin. It is onsidered cytotoxic and genotoxic especially when inhaled by way of aerosol cosmetics.

Methylisothiazoline or MIT : MIT is toxic in pregnancy to the fetus. MIT causes damage to the nervous system and brain cells. Popular products containing MIT include Head and Shoulders, Suave, Clairol, and Pantene Hair Conditioner.

How to Safeguard Your Self and Children: Other chemicals to avoid include any term with the following in its name: ' xynol', 'ceteareth', 'oleth', 'quaternium-15', 'DMDM Hydantoin', 'Imidazolidinyl urea', and 'diazolidinyl urea',
If you can't pronounce it, look it up. If you don't understand what it is, look it up. You need to be proactive in every aspect of your life, to be healthy.

References:

http://www.safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=221

http://www.safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=282

http://www.safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=64

http://www.natural-skincare-authority.com/TOCOPHERYL-ACETATE.html

http://www.rense.com/general63/nerv.htm

http://consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/03/toxic_baths03.html